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Nelson Named Gatorade POY

Daniel Clarke
St. Luke’s Mackenzie Nelson ‘23 was named the 2021-22 Gatorade Connecticut Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

The junior guard received the prestigious honor after her outstanding performances for the Storm, which helped lead the team to its sixth straight Fairchester Athletic Association regular season and tournament championships. 

Nelson, the first St. Luke’s basketball player to win the award, was overjoyed to receive the accolade: “I feel extremely grateful to be named Gatorade Player of the Year. It means a lot to me to be recognized for my hard work.”

Nelson averaged 22 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 5 steals a game, contributing to St. Luke’s 26-1 season. The team’s only loss came in the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council Championship game against Brooks School. The Storm lost 75-76 to the No. 1 seed in overtime, with Nelson scoring a game-high 45 points.

Nelson, a Greenwich native, joined St. Luke’s as a sophomore, and, despite not having a true season in 2020-21 due to Covid restrictions, hit her 1,000th career point during St. Luke’s playoff run. 

According to Gatorade, the Player of the Year Award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court. 

Nelson is a worthy winner. She maintains a 3.84 GPA and is a trusted leader in every aspect of her life at St. Luke’s. She puts her success down to hard work and the people around her: “My parents have always been there for me, taking me to practices and games. Without them, I would not be where I am today. Both my high school and AAU coaches have also allowed me to be successful, on and off the court. My teammates have always been there for me, too. Without them, we would not have been so successful. I am beyond proud of what we as a team have been able to do.”

Read more about Nelson and what could follow here.
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St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.